Unwanted Allies- Dr. Jonathan Crane Story

Kindess

Gotham City was filled with Scarecrow's toxin and the screams of its citizens all witnessing their deepest and darkest fears coming to life around them, just as Phobia had endured little over a year ago. Phobia's eyes were roaming the crowded streets, it was fascinating to watch how different people reacted to their dark fears; some sobbed in a ball, their eyes shut tightly, others like Phobia had seen with Victoria Mathers, clawed at their own flesh or beat their skulls with both of their fists and others simply tried to fight whatever it was they were running from. Inhaling through her nose, a smile crossed her face- she was immune thanks to Jonathan. But, Jonathan was long gone and now it was just Lilah and Scarecrow. No, Lilah was gone too. They were just Phobia and Scarecrow, two lunatics running around the streets laughing as it would soon be burnt to the ground. Those who mattered to Phobia were out of the city: Riddler, Tommy, Floyd, Selina. They were all safe. Catching a glimpse of her blonde hair in the corner of her eye, Phobia stopped dead in her tracks, her fingers delicately picking up was lock of her hair so she could examine it closer. 'Harleen Quinzel' The name and the face of the real Dr. Harleen Quinzel entered Phobia's shattered mind and somehow she found it stuck in her mind. The blonde woman she had met all those months ago had showed her something too few many people had showed her since she had met Dr. Jonathan Crane: Kindness. 

"Why are you stopping, Phobia?" Scarecrow's voice met her and her eyes shot upwards to meet with his- the blue in his pretty eyes almost completely hidden by his mask.  

"I need to go and pay someone a visit." She replied coldly, not allowing any sentiment to seen in her eyes or on her face. Sentiment was weakness and Scarecrow would surely kill her if he found out she, the monster that the GCPD made her out to be, was going to save a woman she barely knew. The coldness in her tone was enough to convince Scarecrow that what she had planning was sinister and with a quick nod, he shoved his hand into the pocket of the strait jacket that once bound him and he pulled out a burlap mask similar to his that unlike his only covered her nose and mouth. 

"Take this. Whilst my antidote made you somewhat immune, staying in my gas for long periods of time will surely take a toll on you." Scarecrow instructed her, Phobia moved forward, taking the mask from his hand and examining it, it was clear to her that Scarecrow had made this for her himself. The space where her mouth would be had been slashed open and restitched with thick crossed stitches that varied in size. Either side of of the mask were cylinders that had been attached to the half mask and resembled a traditional gas mask. 

"Only half a mask, am I not worthy of a full one?" She asked softly, biting her lip and leaning towards Scarecrow. Scarecrow turned to face her, taking a few steps towards her and placing his pointer finger and thumb on her chin to angle her face up towards him. Taking the mask from Phobia's hand, the Scarecrow placed the mask on her face and used the clip at the black to secure it  before he took a step back and allowed Phobia's hands to move upwards to touch the mask that made her skin itchy. 

"Now I can watch the madness and fear in your eyes without having to rip the mask from you." He spoke slowly and sent chills up Phobia's spine, yet still she smiled longingly at him behind her mask, wanting nothing more than to get him alone so she could have him once again. "I should remind you that should you choose to run from me I will hunt you down and I won't stop until I have you back." He hissed, leaning towards her. A small chuckle escaped Phobia's lips, she wanted to kiss him right then and there, but there would be plenty of time for that at a later date when they were alone. 

"Catch you later, Scarecrow." She cooed, before turning away from him and moving down a side alley towards the only place Phobia knew of that Harleen would be- Arkham Asylum. Moving towards a stopped car that still had the engine running, Phobia opened the drivers side door and pulled the screaming woman from the car. The ginger woman didn't put up a fight as a normal Gotham citizen would in any other circumstance, but rather, crawled away from Phobia in terror until her back hit the brick wall of a building. Phobia loved watching the woman quiver before her. It made her feel powerful and strong- which is why she guessed Scarecrow had spent so many years mastering his own fear. In many ways, she assumed he felt the same way she currently felt whenever he watched her tremble before him like a child scared of the dark. Climbing into the car, she sped off, not looking back at the terrified woman. Phobia blinked, watching the people scattering as she drove towards them, hitting them with the car would only slow her down which was why she needed to focus on avoiding hitting the pathetic citizens that were all screaming and crying. The sound that once made her laugh gleefully caused her brow to furrow and her grip to tighten around the steering wheel. Gotham deserved this end. Gotham deserved to suffer. The Fear Gas was payback for when her father was shot on duty in what Gotham's people referred to as Crime Alley; it was payback for when Carmine Falcone stole her life and turned her and her family into puppets; it was payback for when her mother stole her only child, the one thing Lilah truly loved more than anything and gave her to her Aunt Susan; it was payback for Mercious being shot down by one of his own, it was payback for the months Lilah had spent being tortured without anyone to save her; it was payback for the Batman destroying her Jonathan. Gotham City's suffering was payback for spitting out monsters like she and Scarecrow and taking the lives of the innocent, like Christian. Swerving around the corner, Phobia's mind was racing, Lilah was dead, along with all that baggage she hauled around like armor as if it was protection from the world. She was Phobia and the only thing that Phobia feared was her lover- the Scarecrow.